The Office: Flexible, Green Office Space for All

Life can be hard for start-up companies, particularly in the current economic climate. Often the need to keep costs down means that decent office space becomes unaffordable. It can be even harder for a small company to implement a green office policy if it's dealing with short-term leases and unresponsive landlords. Fortunately the UK-based Office Group has set out to offer smaller companies flexible, managed and affordable office space that not only looks great, but includes some substantial green benefits too:

"We think it's important to do our bit for the environment, so we've taken a few steps....o Organic CafeWe're opening an Organic Cafe at our King's Cross Branch, with fresh juices, salads and hot food. Open to the public, it can also cater teas, coffees or lunches for clients in the building. o Green RoofKing's Cross has our first bio-diverse 'Green' roof, fully accessible for clients as an environmentally friendly break-out area. This has been developed with an environmental and educational charity, Global Generation.o EnergyWe use low energy lamps in all the common areas and encourage clients to turn off lights at the end of the day.o RecyclingThere are recycling bins for paper throughout each building and we arrange collection. We also arrange for toners to be recycled. In our refurbishments, we aim for 35% of all materials to be recycled, such as plasterboard and blocks. Filtered water is provided on tap at each building, avoiding the use of plastic bottles."

The company's Bristol office, their first location outside London, features rainwater harvesting, a fully useable green roof, solar panels, sensor lighting and even a wormery for organic waste (it's also walking distance from the farmers market and the city's flagship eco-eatery Bordeaux Quay). And let's not forget that the simple fact that smaller companies are sharing facilities such as meeting rooms means a lower overall footprint in terms of space. For more on establishing a good work/planet balance, check out our guide on How to Green Your Work.